How to welcome a new employee is a big deal. After all, you have spent time, effort and money finding a great person to join your team and help solve some of the problems you are wrestling with. You want them to be excited, get off to a great start and be happy working in the team so they stay and do the best work they can.

 There is a lot you can proactively do that doesn’t take that much time to make sure your new joiner receives a great first impression of you, the team and the company. 

 I share 10 tried and tested actions you can take to make your new team member feels welcome and valued and help them make the best start they can, so they are fully up and running as quickly as possible. What better way for you to demonstrate to the business you made the right hire.

 When planning how to welcome a new team member, send them pre-reads so they feel they are part of the team before they join. Introducing them within the company so the current team knows who they are and what they have joined to do is also really useful for everyone. 

 Getting all the IT setup before a new joiner starts is also needed. As a new employee, there is nothing worse than turning up on the first day and having to spend most of it chasing a list of people to get your computer working. 

 On the first day, get your new employee to start late, keep your diary free so you can greet them in person and introduce them to the team. Give them a bit of time to settle in and then take them through the induction plan you have prepared. Focus the induction plan on helping your new joiner build relationships within the business. 

 Book time in with your new employee to train them on how to use the systems they need, what the rules and expectations are so they can get up to speed as quickly as possible. 

 When planning how to welcome a new employee, I suggest you book in lunches with team members and coffees with all the stakeholders that your new team member will need to build good professional relationships with. 

 Next, giving your new employee a mini-project which they can own and start adding value to the company quickly. 

 Lastly, booking in a social evening with the team and your new joiner will help them all start to build relationships - both personal and professional – in a more informal setting.